Common mistakes that HR managers must avoid

To err is human, but preparing for mistakes is smart. Considering that human resources (HR) team is a strategic partner now and shares the table with the top management in decision making, any mistakes made by them may have a high potential effect. Let's look at a few mistakes that can be prevented.

Avoid working in a silo – that's most important. This is one common mistake made by HR teams at large. It is most important for an HR manager to understand the human resources needs of the other departments. There should always be an ongoing dialogue with the department heads along with their teams. This will help in understanding the gap in the company's productivity and help strengthen the workforce as well.

Sukhdeep Aurora, chief people officer – ANAROCK Property Consultants, says, "There are many mistakes that an HR manager can make. However, at least four of them could be considered cardinal sins." The first is to not comprehend the full scope of this role and assume a hire, induct and forget attitude. HR is not just a recruiting process, it is also a support system. New employees need to be handheld with a supportive, compassionate attitude so that they can find their feet after they're hired. 

The second 'sin' is to overlook or not accurately gauge promising talent which could become leadership material in the future. The third is the failure to move with the times and not adopting the latest technologies available for identifying, screening, monitoring and grooming talent. The fourth is to allow factors other than merit to play a role in candidate selection.

The first three are all products of complacency and can be rectified. However, the fourth is indicative of a deep systemic flaw and avoiding it calls for a highly responsible and ethical core HR staff coupled with a sufficient degree of autonomy for the HR department, says Aurora.

Also, an incorrect salary structure is an employee's biggest concern. Ensure that your structure is strictly based on your performance reviews. Employees usually tend to focus on the increase in the salary percentage trend of the organisation every year. You can avoid this by creating salary caps for every position based on both quantitative and qualitative parameters. Keep the numbers confidential so that there is no unreasonable comparison.

There are other things that HR should be careful about. According to Lakshmi Murthy, chief people officer, ITM Group of Institutions, "HR managers cannot and should not micromanage or snoop into people's workspaces. Their role is to ensure overall healthy and positive work environment but not to get into individual issues and transactions. They should also understand that networking and building employee relations are not about over-socialising. There is a thin line between personal and professional interaction. HR should tread it finely. Do not get too personal with any employee, irrespective of position or levels or gender."

Finally, unfortunately, many times HR tends to have a reactive approach rather than a proactive one, which affects the overall strategy of the organisation. This should be a critical aspect that needs to be addressed while defining the HR strategy. Make a list of responsibility areas and define the approach to ensure that the department is ready with alternatives to address the anticipated gaps/issues. Today, HR is a value-added benefit to the company. Hence, this should definitely be a prime responsibility.

Some of these are genuine mistakes and others are unpredictable. Hence the best approach is to develop a strategy that is foolproof and then continue to play by the ear. These preventive measures might streamline the operations within helping the HR manager and other respective teams in achieving the results in a productive and planned way.

The writer is assistant general manager – human resources, SILA

ADDRESSING ISSUES

Unfortunately, many times HR tends to have a reactive approach rather than a proactive one